I Am Now
by Butterfly8272
Summary: Tara's day has gone from bad to worse, but a few men are about to change that. One-Shot.


Her patient had died. A six month old baby boy flat-lined on the table and even after they did everything they could to resuscitate him, he had died. That was how the day had begun and that was how the day would continue. The fact was very much apparent as she went though the actions of informing the patient's family and fought tears as the young mother collapsed in sobs on the floor, ignoring any comforting gestures offered by the family around her. Tara then decided that the only way she could get through the rest of the day was to burry herself in the growing mountain of paperwork that had accumulated in her office and avoid any thought of what had happened that morning. This plan worked fine for the grand total of an hour before she received an urgent call from Abel's nanny. A family emergency had come up and she wanted to know if there was anyone who could watch Abel for the rest of the day. Tara stifled a groan and any thought of Gemma being any help and told the frazzled woman that she would be home in the next half hour. She internally kicker herself for not staying home that morning, Abel had spent half the night throwing up on every pair of pajamas he owned and the daunting task of being a single parent was magnified when she woke up with him every single time. For not the first time she winced at the idea of having another child so soon. But she pushed back any notion of the idea and hurried to leave the hospital.  
By the time she made it to the house her nanny was half way out the door, waiting for Tara to get back. "Oh thank you Ms. Teller." The woman sighed, obviously relieved that she had made it home as promised. "Abel is asleep right now, he was able to keep a bit of formula down but that was it."  
"Thank you Neela." Offering her condolence to whatever it was that had her panicked, Tara watched the woman make her way to her car then retreated back into the house. She gently shut the door behind her and collapsed onto the nearest chair, sinking back into it. Running her hands across her stomach, she was reminded that two more months she would have someone else to worry and fret over. The single thought exhausted her even more but before she could think too much on it, a small whimper echoed through the hall. The poor boy had not slept more than a few minutes in the last 24 hours, which also meant neither had she.

A sharp knock at the front door accompanied the growing cries coming from the bedroom just as Tara got to her aching feet. After a moment of debate she decided to get rid of whoever it was at the door before tending to Abel. She was surprised to find Opie standing on the front step, his truck parked along the curb behind him in place of his Harley.

"Hi Opie." Tara sighed.

"You ready to go?" He asked and after a moment of confused silence, realization dawned on her.

"Stockton! Jax." She sagged a bit at the thought, guilt weighing her down from forgetting the one day that had come to mean so much to her. Abel's whimpers had grown to a loud holler and a demand for attention. She left Opie at the front door to retrieve her son from the confines of his crib. Picking him up did nothing to stop the cries, neither did rocking him. Tara was just near tears herself when Opie let himself into the nursery, his mammoth frame filling the small room.

"Abel still sick?" He asked, taking in the pathetic sight. Tara could only nod. He walked over to the crib and picked up a thick quilt that had been thrown into the corner.

"Come here little man." He took the noisy baby out of Tara's arms and expertly wrapped him in the quilt and held him against his chest, mumbling softly. The baby quieted almost immediately, his cries becoming soft whimpers once again. Tara could not believe what had just happened. She gaped at the huge biker in front of her, his worn kutte made him look grim and intimidating against the colors of the skillfully sewn quilt he had wrapped Abel in. And even though she knew he had children of his won, Tara would have never thought of Opie as the baby whisperer.

"My daughter was really collicaly as a baby, never slept at night." He quickly explained when he saw her astonishment. "Donna and I would trade off who stayed up with her. This was the only way I could get her to go back to sleep, they just want to be held."

Tara did not have the energy tell him that that was all she had done the last two days, but it was becoming apparent Opie had done something she had not. "He misses his dad." She whispered hoarsely.

"That dead beat, who needs him?" Opie let a small smile slip across his usually somber face.

"I do." Tara mumbled to herself and his face immediately grew solemn again at the words.

"I'll stay with the kid and have Chibs take you to Stockton, if you feel up to it."

"No you don't need to…Abel has been throwing up. I don't want to leave him…" She began to argue weakly.

"Go, it might have been a long time ago but I do have a bit of experience with rugrats and I've got Gemma on speed dial if it comes to it." Opie quickly assured her. "And I think Jax may need to see you as much as you need him."

Tara was taken aback at the brief insight the big man offered. But as she thought the idea over for nearly an entire minute, thinking over every scenario, but in the end it was Opie's offer that made the decision.

"Alright." She gave in, gently kissing the soft forehead that peeked from under the quilt in Ope's arms. One short call Chib's and the Irishman was on his way to the house, putting the plan into action. Opie had him take his truck since it was becoming more obvious that the use of a Harley was impractical when it came to Tara.

"C'mon lass, let's go see ye're man." Chibs said as she met him on the doorstep and he offered her his arm, escorting her to the truck.

They sat in relative silence during the length of the drive. Tara might have even fallen asleep, she enjoyed the quiet. When they pulled up to the prison, they both made their way past various points of security. She had noticed the difference in which she and Chibs were treated compared to other visitors to the prison. It seemed to begin when she had to use her St. Thomas identification when she had foolishly forgotten her driver's license during a visit a month or so after Jax's arrest. The guards seemed confused that a pediatric surgeon, as she was identified on her ID, would want to visit a convicted felon, their confusion grew even more when they asked her relation to a one Mr. Teller.

"Dr. Knowles." A guard greeted her, one she knew as Jon. He seemed nice enough and Jax had told her that he was one of the few correction officers that was fair and even tempered. But even so, Tara hated the fact that she had to go through the entire process. "He's waiting for you, third table back."

She made her way back, following Jon's brief direction. Tara could see him in his bright orange jumpsuit, a crude black number stamped across his chest. His short cropped hair left the chisled features of his face exposed, free to admire. He seemed solunm and tired, but not nearly as pale as he did weeks earlier after being stabbed by another inmate. Tara quickly shook the memory away, just as Jax looked up at her. A small smile played on his lips as she drew closer. Tara suddenly felt self-conscious under his gaze. She had forgotten to fix her hair, or make-up for that matter, after the long drive and she was sure she waddled worse than any pregnant woman should.

"Hey." Jax grinned when she finally found her place next to him. He took her hands, holding them tight between his.

"Hey." She echoed, finally allowing a smile to form for the first time that day.

"You okay?"

"I am now."She sighed. "Are you okay?"

"I am now."


End file.
